Survivable security features for image replacement documents

Abstract

A security image embedded in an original printed document survives a conversion process into an image replacement document in binary image form having a commercial equivalency with the original printed document. The security image is embedded in a background at an approximately common visual density with the background so that the security image is at least partially indistinguishable from the background to the naked eye. Print elements of the security image are arranged differently than the print elements of the background and both are further arranged so that that upon conversion into the image replacement document in binary image form, the security image survives and the background drops out.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is (a) a nonprovisional of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 795,167, filed on Apr. 27, 2006, (b) a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 683,161 filed on Mar. 7, 2007, which is a continuation-in-part of International Application No. PCT / US2005 / 031440, filed on Sep. 6, 2005, and (c) a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 895,822, filed Jul. 22, 2004, which is a continuation of International Application No. PCT / US2003 / 032159, filed Oct. 9, 2003, which are all hereby incorporated by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] This invention relates generally to document protection methods and products. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods and products for printing or otherwise preparing original documents containing security features that are preserved in electronic reproductions of the documents (e.g., security features that survive the scanning process). In addition, the inve...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention is a system for authenticating and validating image replacement documents, particularly in electronic form. The system uses security techniques to verify the authenticity of such documents. It does this by validating latent images that survive a lower-resolution conversion of the original printed document. The system can be used in a variety of applications, such as conducting electronic transactions or managing archives. It allows for the authentication of commercial or legal equivalents of original printed documents. The invention also includes a method for distinguishing between the security image and the background image in the image replacement document. Overall, the invention provides a more effective way to verify the authenticity of image replacement documents."

Problems solved by technology

However, security images contained on conventional commercial paper, such as original checks, do not survive the scanning process, i.e. they are not reproduced in the scanned copy of the original check as an image replacement document.

Accordingly, the originating bank cannot as effectively verify if the image replacement document returned from the depositing bank is a valid check.

The difficulty in verifying the authenticity of image replacement documents raises significant concerns over the potential for increased check fraud once the new “Check 21” regulations become more widely adopted.

While the “Check 21” regulations significantly speed the handling and collection of checks, the risk of unprosecutable check fraud losses is raised, because the conversion process destroys at least some of the evidence of fraud.

However, the current security images on conventional commercial documents do not survive the scanning process of the conventional scanners used in the banking industry.

The image replacement documents are transmitted and stored as binary images, which necessarily involves some loss of information, and the conventional security images are particularly vulnerable to such loss.

That is, the subtle printing details that enable known security images to thwart copying do not survive the conversion process into binary images of the commercial paper.

Images